


Little Red Riding Hood

by pinkhimchanism



Category: B.A.P
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, But he's also done in general, Daehyun is Little Red Riding Hood, Fluff, Himchan just needs to be loved, Light Angst, M/M, Yongguk keeps on striving for justice, Youngjae is a supportive friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-05
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2019-02-10 19:50:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12919050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkhimchanism/pseuds/pinkhimchanism
Summary: There's three rules Jung Daehyun has been told to follow when he enters the forest to visit his grandmother. When he meets a handsome stranger, he proceeds to break all of them.Or: The Fairy Tale AU nobody asked for.





	Little Red Riding Hood

Daehyun had been warned by many people to beware whatever was lurking in the forest. Basically, he had been warned by everyone in the whole village, constantly, throughout his entire childhood. But in their village, that was the fate every child suffered, really. Daehyun also still vividly remembered that one time Youngjae, him and Jongup had sneaked into the outskirts of the forest and wow had they regretted that. 

>   
>  1\. Stay on the path!  
>  2\. Don’t talk to any strangers you meet in the forest!  
>  3\. If you have to talk to one of them, do under no circumstance accept anything to eat or drink from them!  
> 

These were the basic rules Daehyun and every child in the village had learned while growing up. Every once in a while, a child or even an adult disappeared in the woods, never to be seen again. Where they disappeared to, nobody could tell for sure. Jongup had once stated that he believed they simply wanted to escape the village, the judging, the watching of every little step each of them took. 

Daehyun wasn’t sure what he believed. What Jongup had said sounded reasonable enough, but then again all of them had grown up with the stories. Changelings that killed people through magic at a very young age because they were evil through and through. Witches that would try to kill them. Wolves that would tear them apart. The evil sirens that lived in the rivers in the forest and would drown anyone who wasn’t careful enough. The list went on and on. 

The twins Yongguk and Yongnam for example had allegedly been kidnapped by a witch at a very young age. The witch had almost eaten Yongnam back then and Yongguk had somehow managed to save the both of them. Youngjae had once asked them about that but Yongguk had just grinned and shrugged. “Maybe it’s true, maybe it’s not.” While Daehyun and Youngjae had been less than satisfied with the answer, Jongup had somehow liked it. From then on, Yongguk had visited Jongup every now and then. He had proved to be unimpressed by Jongup’s stepsisters and had once said something to them that apparently had made them ever so slightly less horrible towards Jongup. 

Nobody but Yongguk and the step-sisters knew what exactly he had said though. Daehyun and Youngjae tried to find out what the words that had been exchanged had been but neither Jongup nor Yongguk would tell. Even Yongnam, who they had asked as a last resort, had not told them, whether it was because he didn’t question his brother’s motives to let Daehyun and Youngjae suffer in the unsatisfying state of not knowing or whether he simply didn’t know – the result stayed the same. Daehyun and Youngjae kept trying though. 

At 20, Daehyun’s mother had apparently deemed him responsible enough (“Well, to be honest, her mistake. Ouch! Stop hitting me!” – Yoo Youngjae) to bring some groceries to his grandmother on his own. The thing with his grandmother was that she lived right in the middle of the forest, which had made Daehyun not very happy to visit her when he had been a little child. He had heard too many stories about what lurked in the forest to like it there. 

Nowadays, he really didn’t think the forests were all that scary. The only annoying thing were the whispers throughout the village about why his grandmother lived there of all places – what did she have to hide? What did she do there? Why didn’t she live in the village like everyone else? Daehyun had learned to tune out those whispers. 

Daehyun’s grandmother was old and couldn’t go to the village all that often on her own anymore (though Daehyun suspected sometimes she didn’t want to either sometimes), so her family brought her things she might need, groceries, but also books, clothes, and anything else she had need of. Often his mother or father would bring the things out, then sometimes his sisters, and every now and then he had been taken with them because he had wanted to see his grandmother or sometimes because his parents had decided he should come along, even though he was prone to stare ahead stubbornly and not talk on those occasions when he was forced to come along. 

On the one hand, he was intimidated by the things that might lurk in the shadows of the trees, on the other hand – and this became worse during his teenage years – he just didn’t want to be dragged along somewhere when he had promised Youngjae and Jongup that he would take them up on whatever ridiculous challenge they had come up with that time. 

So there he was now, at 20, walking through the forest to his grandmother’s house for the first time on his own. It was rather anticlimactic. No hordes of vampires or evil witches had attacked him yet. There was nothing at all, besides maybe birds and a rabbit that had taken flight the minute it had become aware of Daehyun. 

He had walked for a while, had even started singing to himself, when he could hear an ominous cracking of the bushes that definitely wasn’t from a bird or something small. Daehyun stopped singing. Maybe thinking his walk to his grandmother’s house was boring had been tempting his fate. He suddenly didn’t feel his age, more like a six-year-old boy who had listened to his mother’s scary stories with big eyes, Youngjae and Jongup next to him, mirroring his own expression. He gulped.

Before Daehyun could decide he was brave enough to ask who it was, someone stepped out between some trees, out of an especially dark part of the forest if someone asked Daehyun. The man who had just appeared from between the trees grumbled as he picked a twig from his hair and plucked a leaf from his cloak. He looked up and Daehyun was aware he was staring at the stranger, but really, he looked handsome and apart from that he had just stepped out of the forest proper and Daehyun had never seen him before. He desperately hoped the other man was just some kind of travelling salesman who had lost his way. The village got these salesmen every now and then. It would make sense. 

“Hello”, the stranger finally broke the silence. 

“Who are you?”, Daehyun asked, shoving the thought that he had probably been staring at the other man somewhere into the back of his head. Not important right now. 

“Straight to the point, aren’t you? I picked some herbs just down there. I’m Himchan. And you?” Daehyun wished Himchan’s smile was a little less distracting. 

“I’m Daehyun. Are you one of the witches I’ve been warned about? One of those that would want to eat me alive? Like they tried with Yongguk and Yongnam?” 

The stranger laughed loudly and his eyes crinkled. Daehyun realized he had broken the second rule. He was not supposed to talk to that man. But then again anyone who had ever met him would have admitted that it was too much to ask of Daehyun not to talk to someone when the opportunity arose. 

“So that rumor is still going?” 

Daehyun nodded slowly but was now even more confused. How did the man know about the rumor in the first place? Had he lived in the village? Whatever, Daehyun had to actually reach his grandmother’s home to bring her the things she needed and then be back in the village before the sun went down. 

“It was nice meeting you. I’ve got to get going”, Daehyun announced and, without waiting for a reply, he started walking again. 

But Himchan was not as easily shaken off. “Good thing I have to go into the same direction then”, he said with a grin and walked beside Daehyun. The latter was caught in the feeling that he should say something, but he just couldn’t think of anything for the life of him and every passing second seemed to make it even worse. It was quite an unfamiliar feeling for him. Usually he could talk a lot, about anything at all. Maybe it was the fact that Himchan and his sudden appearance made him feel quite unsettled. 

“Was that you singing earlier? I heard someone”, Himchan finally said. Daehyun wished Himchan was less attractive but that was probably as effective as wishing Youngjae would knock on the door when picking him up before work like a normal person and not call up to his window “Come down here, loser!”. Well, maybe Youngjae could one day be persuaded to stop this particular habit. Daehyun didn’t want to give up hope just yet.

“Yeah, it was me singing. What are you collecting herbs for?” 

“You have a nice voice. I enjoyed it. Not many people come here to sing. There’s this nymph, a flower spirit, he keeps singing but I don’t always meet him. And they’re for healing potions.” 

Daehyun gulped and shuddered. Himchan talked about supernatural beings so casually. As if they weren’t dangerous. As if it was a normal occurrence meeting them. It scared Daehyun but it was also intriguing. 

“A nymph? They exist? And… potions? Isn’t that usually what witches do?” His voice sounded weaker than he would have liked it but if Himchan noticed, he didn’t care.

“Of course they exist. They’re just not hanging out near the paths because why would they? Humans don’t take kindly to seeing anyone they don’t know. And if you would stop calling me a witch, my life would be that much easier. I’m a magician. Before you ask, there’s more supernatural beings living in the woods than you’d believe. And the vast majority isn’t out to hunt down humans. It’s just human hubris that suggests that we’d actually be interested in your demise.” Himchan shrugged and Daehyun was about to answer when he noticed they had reached his grandma’s house. 

“Oh. We’re here. I… need to go, Himchan. It was nice meeting you.” 

Himchan nodded and before Daehyun could say anything else, Himchan waved and walked away. 

Daehyun tried very hard not to think about the fact Himchan had called himself a supernatural being. 

 

 

He had met a magician. Someone who wasn’t human. It was days later and Daehyun was still thinking about his chance meeting with Himchan. He had a lot of questions, too many of them. Most of all, he wanted to know how he knew about Yongguk and Yongnam. He had been wondering whether he should just ask them but then he’d have to admit he had actually talked to a stranger in the woods. Though he supposed the twins weren’t the type to particularly care that much as long as Daehyun was fine. 

“Yongguk?” Daehyun asked as he found the other man sitting by the small pond behind the carpenter’s shop he shared with his brother. The other man looked up and smiled when he saw Daehyun. That blinding smile still took Daehyun by surprise sometimes. He blinked for a moment, trying to shoo away the thoughts of how he had had a crush on Yongguk, years ago. He had been fifteen, maybe sixteen and horribly jealous when Yongguk had paid more attention to Jongup than to him. 

“Yes?”, Yongguk asked, making Daehyun abandon his thoughts.

Daehyun sat down next to him, plucking some grass from the ground in nervousness. Technically, he should probably tell Yongguk why he was here, but the older man never pushed anyone to talk when they weren’t ready. Some people were unnerved by Yongguk seeming rather quiet but Daehyun rather enjoyed it, especially in situations like this one. 

“Do you… know a man called Himchan?” Yongguk, who had enjoyed the evening sun with closed eyes, looked up, surprised. He had definitely not expected the question, that much was clear. It also halfway answered the question – had Yongguk never heard of the other man, he would have reacted differently. 

“He’s a magician. It’s like… it’s complicated, but basically, he was born with magical abilities, unlike the rest of his family. It’s… I was a child when that occurred what I’ll tell you, but he… a man died back then. His father had an alcohol problem and attacked him, his mother and sisters apparently. One day, Himchan flipped out and since nobody had taught him how to control his magic… His father died from the injuries. It was an accident but… if you ever wonder where the village has its idea of evil changelings from, it’s from this occasion. The family moved away and didn’t take him with them. The village decided to abandon him in the forest. That’s what I know, Natasha told me these things.” 

Silence followed the story, and all Daehyun could do was nod, stunned by what he had just heard. He felt bad for Himchan, although judging from what this village had done, maybe they would have expected him to feel differently. Daehyun didn’t, though. Himchan had seemed nice enough. And he had only been a child back then, albeit a very powerful one. 

“Why are you asking though? Where did you hear his name?”, Yongguk asked, breaking the silence again. 

Daehyun knew he couldn’t lie to Yongguk. He would try with Youngjae an Jongup sometimes though they could see right through him. Never with Yongguk though. He was far more intimidating than either one of his friends, so he didn’t even try. 

“I met him in the forest,” he admitted.

“You do the most peculiar things in the forest, Jung Daehyun.” 

 

 

Daehyun felt stupid when he walked down the path he had come to the point where he had met Himchan the last time. He wanted to see him again, for some inexplicable reason. He was curious, probably. He wanted to know about this supernatural being he had met. 

Why he thought Himchan would just be at this exact same spot again on the day Daehyun decided to walk into the forest… not even Daehyun himself could answer that one. “Himchan?”, he tried, unsure of himself. 

No reply. Which was no surprise really. 

“Himchan?” He tried again, louder this time. 

Just when he was about to walk back to the village, cursing his stupid ideas, Himchan appeared between two trees again, once again with his basket full of herbs. 

“You called, my prince?” Himchan said with a mocking grin and bowed, the gesture quite exaggerated. “Seriously, did you think I live in this spot?” 

Daehyun maybe blushed a little. “I didn’t know where else to meet you.” Himchan grinned. “Let me lead you to my humble abode then so you know where you can meet me, should you ever feel the need to see my pretty face again.” This time, Daehyun definitely blushed and Himchan laughed when he saw it.

 

 

They kept meeting. His friends knew something was up; but they didn’t ask which was a miracle in itself. Daehyun couldn’t wait to see Himchan again most of the day. Couldn’t wait to be shown more of the forest because Himchan knew places… Wow. He remembered the lake close by the spring of a river that would eventually lead into the forest. He remembered seeing mermaids for the first time. He also learned mermaids could be grumpy. Or at least Hongbin was. Jin not so much. Jin was more interested in being happy and loud, something Daehyun could relate to. 

 

 

“Be safe, Daehyun. Not everyone and everything in this forest is friendly.”

“Walk me home then.”

“You’re insufferable.” 

 

 

“How long have you known?” Himchan sounded… lifeless, for lack of a better description. 

“For ages, Himchan. I don’t… Since before I’ve come back for the first time.” 

“You should have told me.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” 

“Exactly why would I start talking about the reason your village would gladly burn me at the stake? Why would I talk about the reason I’m a fucking monster?” Himchan spat and stalked away. Daehyun didn’t think Himchan wanted him to follow, so he didn’t. 

Himchan was not a monster and Daehyun wanted to tell him but he stayed silent. 

 

 

“Daehyun, while I am extremely offended you didn’t tell me about your secret forest romance earlier, I must say your stupidity is limitless. He said he is a monster and you did not, in fact, run after him, to tell him he isn’t? Even though you’re both clearly whipped for each other?” Youngjae had his arms crossed in front of his chest and looked ready to strangle Daehyun for being stupid. 

Daehyun felt a lot of things in this very moment. As always when he was uncomfortable, he focused on the probably least important factor to guarantee some comedic relief. “I am not, in fact, whipped for him. And I don’t think Himchan can be whipped for anyone. He more, like, graces you with his presence.” 

“Whipped,” Youngjae announced and smirked. 

“Shut up.”

“Didn’t you want my advice?”

“Yes, but please shut up as well.” 

“Go apologize to him and tell him he’s not a monster, you idiot.” 

 

 

Himchan, when not wanting to be found, was impossible to find, Daehyun had found out. He had looked for him in places he knew Himchan often frequented and had even talked to the elf who was best friends with Himchan and that even though the elf was extremely scary in Daehyun’s humble opinion. Daehyun couldn’t get rid of the feeling the elf, Taekwoon, was considering whether he should kill him or just let him leave again. He was glad when the other decided on the latter option. 

He had not found out where Himchan was but at least he would live another day. He counted his blessings and tried not to be too disgruntled about the fact Taekwoon probably knew where Himchan was and had just decided not to tell him. The young boy Taekwoon had taken in a few weeks back, Junhong, seemed to be close to telling Daehyun what he wanted to know but then had decided against it. Daehyun could understand it. The wrath of both Taekwoon and Himchan didn’t seem to be something you just survived. 

After waiting in front of his house proved to be pointless too, Daehyun had opted to write on Himchan’s door that he wasn’t a monster. In chalk. Then he left. 

Daehyun repeated this day after day. Almost a week passed until Himchan was waiting for him when Daehyun started his round at Himchan’s house. None of them said a word at first. 

“I’ve missed you”, Daehyun finally said, uncharacteristically quiet. Himchan didn’t respond. “I’m sorry for not telling you I knew about it. But I don’t think you’re a monster, never did.” He fidgeted, bit his lip, as he looked at Himchan. 

“I’m sorry for reacting the way I did. It was kind of immature. As Taekwoon told me in quite the colorful language.” Daehyun cracked a smile and so did Himchan. Both were tentative smiles, but it was a start. 

 

 

“Don’t your parents wonder where you are all the time?”, Himchan asked curiously. Daehyun shrugged. “It’s not like I’m a child anymore. I think they assume I’m with Youngjae and Jongup. Or Yongguk.” 

Silence. 

“Daehyun?” Himchan’s voice was quiet and Daehyun turned his head to look at the other man. “You’re beautiful. Have I told you?” 

Daehyun could feel his face heating up. 

“No, you haven’t. But so are you.”

 

 

The first time they kissed was on a day autumn. It was still fairly warm, and Daehyun had been unable to hold back, not when Himchan looked so ethereal and not when his eyes crinkled the way they did. Not when his black hair glinted in the sunlight, not when he teased Daehyun about not recognizing half the herbs that Himchan had been trying to teach him throughout summer. 

Daehyun smiled and then pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. “Shut up, Himchan”, he whispered, softly. 

“Make me.” 

“Gladly.” 

 

 

A few years later there was a story about a changeling getting his revenge for being thrown out of the village and abducting four young men. Nobody seemed to notice that they sometimes sneaked into the village to visit their relatives.

**Author's Note:**

> come talk to me on [ tumblr](https://pinkhimchanism.tumblr.com/) or [ twitter ](https://twitter.com/pinkhimchanism/)


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